Social Media

Good Karma Clothing Is a Netflix for Baby Clothes

You can subscribe to just about anything on the web — toiletries, beauty products, organic snacks — and now, one mom has created an online subscription service for baby clothes, Good Karma Clothing.

"This wouldn't work in a small community," Sharon Schneider, Good Karma founder and CEO, told Mashable. "It's the network effect that I need."

Subscribers receive one seven-outfit bundle at a time, which they later return once their child grows. The outfits come at three different levels — basic, for $27.99 a month, better, for $45 a month, and boutique, for $75 a month. The prices are pegged at the cost of a single new outfit.

Schneider is in the process of developing a "Netflix-like" experience for subscribers, where they will tell her "loves monkeys" or "no princesses" and she will be able to recommend outfits based on user preferences.

Schneider, a mother of three, came up with the idea while she was boxing up her daughter's old clothes to send to her sister, who had a younger daughter. She realized it would be great if there was a service that could connect moms with clothing for their quickly growing children.

Schneider hopes to follow Netflix's lead, by setting up regional distribution centers across the country in what she calls "progressive cities" — Seattle, New York, Austin, Boulder and San Francisco. Shipping shorter distances is one of several the company's ecologically-friendly plans.

Good Karma Clothing has also partnered with an environmentally-friendly baby detergent, ships clothing bundles in reusable nylon bags and has plans to upcycle damaged clothing.

Though Schneider assumes she attracts subscribers primarily for Good Karma's convenience, she has a large overlap with diaper subscription services, suggesting to her that the low environmental impact is an important draw as well.

Good Karma recently won COMMON Pitch NYC, a social entrepreneurs competition during Social Media Week.

Are you a parent who would use a service like Good Karma? Let us know in the comments.

BONUS: 20 Online Home Delivery Subscriptions

Top 20 Online Home Delivery Subscriptions

The mother lode of subscription services, Amazon Subscribe and Save, lets you “subscribe” to household items like toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, diapers, toothbrushes, dog food, and more. You get an across the board 15% discount, the ability to cancel any time, and the choice to skip shipments or request additional shipments. I haven’t shopped for toilet paper in two years -- that’s a lot of time saved.

If you have kids, think of Kiwi Crate as a gift for them and a gift for yourself. Each month your child receives a box with a crafts project appropriate to their age. The contents of the box will entertain them for hours, hopefully throughout the 30 days until the next delivery arrives. You’ll be a super parent while providing your kids with genuinely cool activities. An equally suitable option is the Babba Box.

If you have a slightly younger child or a newborn, you definitely need to check out Citrus Lane, a service that sends you things you really need month by month. Whether it's bath time essentials for your one-month-old or teething toys for your six-month-old, they’ve got you covered.

If you’re a single man who just can’t seem to make it to the store for the essentials, ManPacks will rescue you. You can subscribe to things like undershirts and socks, razors and underwear. Just don’t let the old ones pile up in a corner -- you still have to do laundry. For a women’s version, check out Hoseanna.

Quarterly is a newcomer to the subscription scene with a very different concept. In this service, you subscribe to tastemakers like Maria Popova of Brain Pickings or Michael Karnjanaprakorn of SkillShare, and each quarter you’ll receive a gift of their choosing. Judging by the quality of curators the site offers, I think the gifts will be pretty special.

Blissmo has been around for a while as a deal site for all things eco-friendly and sustainable. Now the company is putting that love into a monthly subscription box. You might get organic granola one month and a recycled plastic toothbrush the next. Blissmo Boxes make great gifts or just nice ways to discover new green products.

Conscious Box goes a little less mainstream and a little more artisanal in its choice of sustainable products. Some examples include ethically made soap or fair trade beeswax candles. If you’re looking for products that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to find at your local store, this service is for you.

If you're a guy, you probably find shopping for clothes very difficult, and more than likely, you don’t have as good a sense of style as you might think. Trunk Club serves as your remote personal stylist. After a short “interview,” which may include a Skype look-see and a perusal of your Facebook photos, your personal stylist (mine is named Anne Stover) will send you a box of outfits to try on. You simply keep and pay retail for whatever you like (Trunk Club does not charge a fee), and send back what you can’t pull off.

For the longest time there wasn’t a decent female alternative to the Trunk Club, but now we have CakeStyle. The process works similarly -- this service can keep busy executives or full-time moms looking their best all year round.

Art In A Box will send you original works of art each month. Decorate your apartment with new styles and images that you never knew would appeal to you. Maybe you’ll be inspired to make your own masterpieces.

Foodzie has become the Etsy of food, a global marketplace for individuals who cook up deliciousness in their own kitchens and then sell it to the world. Each month Foodzie sends you a box of goodies that will open your eyes to the wonderful delicacies of semi-professional cuisine.

Whether sitting in front of a computer or running a marathon, we snack as a natural part of life. LolliHop sends you a box of healthy, tasty, and satisfying snacks on a monthly basis. Most of these products you’ve probably never heard of, so this is a great way to discover your new source of fuel.

If you’ve ever tried CrossFit, then you know what the Paleo diet is. Basically Paleo is the diet of our 10,000-year-old ancestors, who ate lots of nuts, berries and other hearty goodness. The diet can be a little difficult to stick to when you’re out and about, however. PaleoPax will send you the perfect combination of fuel to power through.

BirchBox was one of the first major companies to offer this kind of service. An amazing gift for that special woman in your life, the box contains sample sizes of everything from mascara to lip balm to the occasional edible treat. The product choices so far have been exceptional.

That’s right, the guy version of Birch Box, which offers everything from shaving cream to condoms. Every time you receive a box you’ll have an "Ah-ha" moment when you realize just how badly you needed what they sent. Also check out HisKit.

If you’ve got your own idea for a killer subscription model, you can use Member.ly to manage signups, generate subscriber lists and market your very own offering. Think you can curate the best comic books or DVDs of the month? Give it a try and see who signs up.

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